


in my heart you're gentle light

by smallredboy



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Banter, Bets & Wagers, Canon Compliant, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Married Couple, homophobic language a little? but like its gay people using it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24812281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: Price meets Hannibal early on, and he and his husband start a bet.
Relationships: Jimmy Price/Brian Zeller, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 11
Kudos: 183
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Little & Monthly Specials 2020, Prompt Table Challenge: Shippy Building, Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	in my heart you're gentle light

**Author's Note:**

> **trope bingo:** bets/wagers  
>  **fffc's 100th special:** observing  
>  **shippy building @ creativechallenges:** unethical
> 
> enjoy!

"I met Will's psychiatrist," Price tells Zeller as soon as he gets home.

"Ooh?" He doesn't look up from chopping vegetables for tonight's dinner.

"Yeah, he's this uptight guy, he wears the ugliest patterns ever," he says as he leans in to peck Zeller's cheek, to then settle on one of the spare chairs. "He's clearly gay. Like he speaks like a pretentious straight guy but that's because he's rich and that's how rich people act. But his clothes and his mannerism… he's _super_ limp-wristed."

Zeller laughs and turns to look at him briefly. "Oh, is he?"

"Yes," he says. "His name's like, Hannibal, or something. He's European too, I think? Have no idea from where."

" _Is he gay or European…_ " Zeller sings under his breath.

" _Well, hey, don't look at me_ ," Price shoots back. 

"If he's gay and uptight and European I'm sure he and Will will end up banging," he says casually as he goes to the oven to check on the beef he's cooking. "I don't know, Will just seems like he has really bad taste in men."

"He looks _way_ too interested in being ethical to sleep with a patient," he replies. "He's just — _like_ that. Has that energy to him. Although Will technically isn't his patient, last I heard they're not official. So maybe he'll think it's okay? I doubt it, though."

Zeller turns to him and sticks his tongue out. "D'you wanna bet?"

"Sure," he says lightly. They share a bank account, as they're married, so bets are mostly useless bickering for them to have some fun with. "I bet a hundred dollars that they will not sleep together, ever."

"Well, if you lose, that's two hundred," he says. "So that's fun for you. So much money, Jimmy. You may wanna be careful with that."

He laughs and stands up to kiss him on the lips, deep and languid. "Well," he says, "I'll try my best to not let _our_ money go to waste."

* * *

After Katz's death, Price sinks right back into drinking.

"You know," Price hiccups, nursing a beer bottle and an impending headache. "I think I may… I may owe you those two hundred bucks."

"Which?" Zeller asks, settled next to him, a hand on his shoulder. He's tried his best to ignore his husband's habits, as much as they strain their marriage sometimes— they're in the FBI. Everyone has ways of coping, some worse than others. He likes to isolate himself and listen to music for hours on end; Price likes to drink until everything he has seen can be numbed out. They've both got issues.

"When we bet on Hannibal and Will sleeping together," he says, taking a long sip from the bottle. "It feels like — I don't think that after all this, Will is going to sleep with him any time soon."

"Do you think there's any truth to his statements?" he asks. He sounds almost disgusted at the idea. He's met Hannibal now, and he's just a guy. He's _weird_ , sure, but he's just a guy.

"Not really," Price says. "But I think Will will hold onto them for a long time. Even if they're disproved, this… this betrayal will keep by his side forever."

"That's not to mention how Hannibal almost died because of him," he says. "If Hannibal has any sense, he probably won't sleep with him."

He lets out a laugh. "He doesn't seem like he has much sense. He almost seems like he likes the danger of being around Will."

"They'll probably go back to therapy."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. They'll try and go back to normal. Whatever that means for Will."

"His definition of normal is pretty shaky," Price says. He leans against Zeller, who doesn't doubt to wrap his arms around him. "I miss Bev," he says onto the junction of his shoulder.

"I miss her too," he says. "It's grotesque, what happened to her."

"Just like Miriam Lass," he mumbles. "But of course it's a lot worse. She was… she was incredible."

"She was," he agrees.

The funeral is next Sunday. Zeller is unsure if he'll be able to stomach it and go.

* * *

"I think they fucked," Zeller says apropos of nothing.

"Who?"

"Hannibal and Will." He settles on the table, swings his legs lightly. "Apparently Hannibal surrendered in front of Will's cabin, and Jack said he looked _heartbroken_."

"What, did he get friendzoned by Will?" Price jokes.

He laughs. "Maybe." He pauses for a second. "Jack's also told me that like, Will was kind of all over the place after he recovered. Like he admitted to wanting to run away with Hannibal that night."

"The night he got stabbed?"

"The very same."

"Jesus Christ," he whispers. "I don't think that's like, something you can _no homo_ your way out of. But that's not proof that they fucked, just that they clearly have feelings for each other."

"Maybe Hannibal will admit to it in court," Zeller offers.

"That'd be hilarious."

"It would be."

* * *

"Okay," Price says as he gets to the scene of the crime. Dolarhyde's corpse lays there, on the ground, blood seeping out of multiple parts of his body. He's not anything like the typical art gallery shows of Hannibal's, but it's clearly his work and Will's. "Okay. I might owe you those two hundred dollars, after all. I don't know how they _wouldn't_ fuck after this."

Zeller laughs. They've strayed behind the rest of the FBI team, as to not alarm them with their ongoing discourse about Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham's relationship. "You think they're alive?"

"Those assholes always survive, somehow. I really don't know how they do it, but there's no hint of where they went. So, I don't know, they probably ran off somewhere."

"Sure," he says. He leans in to kiss him, quick. "Well, Jimmy, I think you owe me those two hundred dollars."

"I'll give them to you when we get home. Have to pass by our bank account, I'm sure you understand, babe."

He laughs.


End file.
